mcelroy



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

. (No Model.)

J.. F. MoELROY. RAILWAY OAR HEATING APPARATUS.

Q i ,F 1 L UR, 3 0, m M 4 c J m t P WITNESSES mg A/fl/Cl/ (No Model.) 2Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. F. McELROY.

RAILWAY GAR HEATING APPARATUS. No. 490,673. Patented Jan. 31, 1893.

WI TN SSES AT ORNEY.

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UNrrn Tiaras ATENT FFIQEQ JAMES F. MOELROY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK,ASSIGNOR TO THE CONSOLI- DATED GAR-HEATING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

RAiLWAY-CAR H EATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 490,673, dated January31, 1893.

Application filed January 11, 1892. Serial No. 417,633- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES F. MCELROY, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of Albany, State of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Railway-Car Heating Apparatus,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for heating railwaycars in which a hot water circulating system is used in connection witha steam heated drum; and the object of my invention is to produce arailway car heating apparatus provided with means for reducing thepressure in the water circuit when the steam pressure in certain partsof the steam supply system decreases. I accomplish this object by meansof the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure l is an elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan. Fig. 3 is a cross section.Fig. 4 is a section of the Vacuum pipe in detail, and Fig. 5 is a detailview of the four-part valve E. Fig. 6 is a plan of the work on the underside of the car drawn to a larger scale, and showing the course of thedifferent fluids through the system by means of arrows.

Similar letters and figures refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

For the purpose of producing a means for reducing the pressure in thewater circuit in a railway car-heating apparatus when the steam pressurein certain parts of the steam supply system connected with saidapparatus decreases, I provide a means for connecting the upper portionofthe expansion chamber of the water circulating system with the returnpipe, through which the water of condensation is pumped back to thelocomotive tender in the steam supply system, and in this way reduce thepressure upon the water circuit. I accomplish this result by means ofthe following described apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, the train pipe A carries the steam from thelocomotive, the pipe B is the return train pipe through which the steamis pumped back to the tender.

0 represents an ordinary water heating drum placed beneath the car.

D is a pipe communicating with the steam pipeA, by means of a suitablevalve K, the

valve J.

pipe D communicating also with the four-way valve E, the steam passingthrough the pipes F F into the drum 0. The steam and water ofcondensation pass out of the drum 0 through the pipes G-G into thefour-way valve E and out through the pipeH which connects with thereturn train pipe B by means of the The fiow of steam from the trainpipe may be regulated from within the car by means of a steam valve L,and the pipe G leading from the drum may be opened or closed by valve Lfrom within the car.

The numeral 1 represents a Baker or other heater provided with a watercirculating coil 2 connected with the expansion chamber 3, having itslower leg communicating with the pipe 4 of the circulating piping in thecar, the expansion chamber also communicating with the piping in the carby means of the connecting pipe 5. The piping in the car is connectedwiththe drum C by means of the pipe 6 passing through the floor of thecar and communicating with the pipe 7 entering the drum 0. After passingthrough the drum 0, the water leaves the drum through the pipe 8 andagain enters the piping in the car and continues its circulation untilit reaches the lower leg of the circulating coil placed in the heater.

As thus far described, there is nothing particularly new in thearrangement of my pipes and their connections. The drum 0 containsheating surface with which the water of circulation comes into contactsimilar in con struction and operation to the drum commonly used in thisconnection. I place the pipe V communicating with the upper portion,above the level of the water, of the expansion chamber 3 and extendingdownward and along or near the floor of the car and passing through thefloor and along the bottom of the car, connects with the pipe G justbefore the pipe G enters the four-way valve E and which pipe G is thepipe containing the water of condensation and returning steam from thedrum 0 immediately before its connection with the return train pipe B.It is apparent therefore that when the vacuum is formed in the pipe B,the air contained in the pipe V will be forced out through the pipe Ginto the pipe B and a vacuum will occur in the pipe V and therefore inthe upper portion of the expansion chamber 8 into which the upper end ofthe pipeV opens. The vacuum occurring in the upper portion of theexpansion chamber 3 reduces the pressure upon the water in that chamberand therefore lowers the boiling point and as a consequence, the freebubbles of steam will be formed rapidly, promoting the circulation ofthe water through the piping in the car, the result which I desire toattain.

For the purpose of closing the pipe V, I arrange a valve V therein,which may be operated by hand and so constructed that when the hand isremoved therefrom, the valve will close, since it is not advisable tohave the pipe V in operation but a very short time at a time. The valveV is shown in the enlarged sectional detail view Fig. 4 and is attachedto the pipe V by means of the threaded openings 11 at each end of thevalve,being screwed upon threads upon the pipe V, which is cut away forthe purpose of inserting the valve. Within the valve chamber IV, Iarrange the projecting pieces X X extending the one from one side of thevalve chamber and the other from the opposite side, each bent toward theother, but leaving an opening Y between the two, through which opening Ycommunication is established between the upper and lower portions of thepipe V. For the purpose of closing the opening Y, I place the valve stemZ provided with a suitably rounded end which will fit snugly in theopening Y, which is formed to supply a seat therefor. The valve stem Zis provided with a suitable packing Z placed within the nut N, which issuitably threaded to mesh with threads on the lug M attached to the sideof the body of the valve, and in which nut the valve stem Z reciprocatesfreely. The end of the valve stem Z farthest from the opening Y, isattached to the lever arm P. The lever arm P is fulcrumed to the bar Qattached to the exterior side of the body of the valve. The lever arm Pis provided at its end farthest from the valve stem Z with a suitablehandle 19 and between the end of the handle 19 and the fulcrum bar Q, Iarrange a spiral spring S being in contact with the lug R on the side ofthe body of the valve, and a corresponding lug It on the lower side ofthe lever arm, and so arranged that the resiliency of the spring willtend to cause the valve stem to be forced into the opening Y, closingcommunication between the upper and lower portions of the valve chamber.As thus arranged, it is apparent that when the valve V is in its normalcondition, there is no communication between the upper portion of theexpansion chamber3 and the pipe G communicating with the return trainpipe 13, but when the circulation of the car becomes sluggish, bypressing the handle 19 of the lever arm P toward the pipe V,communication is established, and the air in the upper portion of theexpansion chamber is exhausted therefrom; the pressure upon the water inthe expansion chamber is less than atmospheric; free bubbles of steamwill be formed and the circulation in the car accelerated. When the handis taken from the lever arm handle 1), the spring S causes the valve tobe closed immediately.

I do not limit myself to the exact construction of my valve V nor to theplace or manner of connecting the expansion chamber with the returnpipe. Any manner of connecting the expansion chamber with the returnsteam pipe, or its branches, in such a Way as to utilize the vacuumtherein, will suffice.

As thus arranged, my apparatus is extremely simple in its constructionand operation and there is little danger of its becoming out of orderthrough inattention since the vacuum pipe is inoperative, except whenthe person in charge thereof has his hand upon the valve handle.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A railway car heating system consisting of a steam supplying pipeconnected with the locomotive, a return pipe conducting the water ofcondensation from the car to the locomotive, a drum provided withheating surface, connections between the drum and the steam supplyingpipe and the return pipe, a water circulating system provided with astove containing a circulating coil, piping about the car connected withsaid coil, an expansion chamber communicating with the coil and alsowith the piping about the car, the water of circulation passing throughthe drum provided with the heating surface, a pipe connecting the upperportion of the expansion chamber with the pipe connecting the drumcontaining the heating surface with the return pipe, substantially asdescribed and for the purpose set forth.

2. A system for heating railway cars consisting of a steam supplyingpipe connected with the locomotive, a return pipe to carry the Water ofcondensation back to the locomotive, a drum having a surface heated bymeans of the steam passing through the steam supplying pipe, which isconnected with said drum, a water circulating system which is connectedwith said drum and which is provided with a stove containing acirculating coil, an expansion chamber connected with said coil and withpiping in the car, the upper portion of said expansion chambercommunicating with the return pipe, substantially as described and forthe purpose set forth.

3. In a system for heating railway cars, the combination of a stove, awater circulating coil therein, an expansion chamber connected with saidcoil, piping within the car connected with said coil and also with saidexpansion chamber, a drum containing a heated surface connected with thepiping in the car, a steam supplying pipe connected with said drum areturn pipe connected with said drum, through which return pipe thewater of condensation is pumped back to the locomotive, a pipe cona pipeconnecting the upper portion of the expansion chamber of said watercirculating system with the mechanism for returning the Water ofcondensation from the steam supply- 7 I5 ing system, substantially asdescribed and for the purpose set forth.

JAMES F. MCELROY.

Witnesses:

EDWIN A. SMITH, HARVEY W. GROESBECK.

